NEWS RELEASE – (Columbus, OH) Justin Ruggiano’s grand slam in the eighth was about the only bright spot in an 18-5 loss on Tuesday night to Columbus in game one of the Governors’ Cup Finals.

Clippers starter David Huff retired his first 12 hitters, and the best hitting the team in the league scored five runs in the first inning off Durham’s Richard De Los Santos (0-2 in the post-season).

De Los Santos was ejected in the third inning after hitting Wes Hodges with a pitch. Hodges had homered in the five-run first off De Los Santos.

Darin Downs did throw two scoreless innings, and Durham got on the board in the fifth on a Columbus throwing error, but the Clippers then put the game away with a seven-run fifth, sending 12 hitters to the plate.

Columbus eventually scored 12 unanswered runs over three innings to take a 17-1 lead before Ruggiano hit a grand slam in the eighth inning, his first homer of the post-season.

Columbus hit four homers, and collected 20 hits, as each starter had at least two hits. It was the most runs allowed by the Bulls this season, and the most lopsided loss since a 20-2 defeat against Scranton in the last game of the 2008 Governors’ Cup Finals.

Durham will try to answer in game two on Wednesday at 6:35 with RHP Aneury Rodriguez takes the mound against Zach McAllister in a matchup of righties.

NEWS RELEASE – (Columbus, OH) Justin Ruggiano’s grand slam in the eighth was about the only bright spot in an 18-5 loss on Tuesday night to Columbus in game one of the Governors’ Cup Finals.

Clippers starter David Huff retired his first 12 hitters, and the best hitting the team in the league scored five runs in the first inning off Durham’s Richard De Los Santos (0-2 in the post-season).

De Los Santos was ejected in the third inning after hitting Wes Hodges with a pitch. Hodges had homered in the five-run first off De Los Santos.

Darin Downs did throw two scoreless innings, and Durham got on the board in the fifth on a Columbus throwing error, but the Clippers then put the game away with a seven-run fifth, sending 12 hitters to the plate.

Columbus eventually scored 12 unanswered runs over three innings to take a 17-1 lead before Ruggiano hit a grand slam in the eighth inning, his first homer of the post-season.

Columbus hit four homers, and collected 20 hits, as each starter had at least two hits. It was the most runs allowed by the Bulls this season, and the most lopsided loss since a 20-2 defeat against Scranton in the last game of the 2008 Governors’ Cup Finals.

Durham will try to answer in game two on Wednesday at 6:35 with RHP Aneury Rodriguez takes the mound against Zach McAllister in a matchup of righties.

NEWS RELEASE – Bring on the face painting, crowd cheering, car-pooling, cookouts, pep rallies, halftime showdowns, hometown pride and mud-slinging battles in the trenches. It is week four of the Great American Rivalry Series, and this year the Series alongside the United States Air Force comes to Cary to cover the action.

For the first time, the Great American Rivalry Series will feature longtime rivals the Cary Imps and the Apex Cougars on Friday, Sept. 17 at 7:30 p.m.

The Cary-Apex Rivalry is one of 30 must-see match ups selected for the Air Force-sponsored Rivalry Series. The winning team not only earns bragging rights but also the coveted Great American Rivalry Champion trophy, presented on field by a member of the United States Air Force. The game’s Most Valuable Player will also be recognized, and the Series will award a college scholarship to the top student-athlete from each school.

In addition to game-night festivities, students from each school are invited to participate in the Great American Rivalry Series “IT Factor Challenge” to determine which school has what “IT” takes! Conducted by the Rivalry Series and the U.S. Air Force, the “IT Factor Challenge” will be held the week prior to the big game and consists of physical, mental, and coordination tests. The winning school will be announced and awarded a trophy during the game.

“The Air Force is proud to be part of the Great American Rivalry Series again,” said Master Sgt. Jeffrey B. Morris, program manager, Events Marketing for Headquarters Air Force Recruiting Service. “This allows us to showcase how teamwork, dedication, and commitment to excellence goes beyond the football field. It helps us connect with fans and emphasize these values are common in both football and the Air Force. We are excited and pleased to be associated with this series, the schools and the student athletes.”

The Great American Rivalry Series emerged from a desire to celebrate the cultural phenomenon of Friday night high school football. The Series shines the spotlight on classic gridiron clashes where expectations are sky high and die-hard fans abound.

For more information, contact 859-225-3399 or visit www.greatamericanrivalry.com.

Maybe it’s time to bring former UNC player Ethan Albright, a long snapper, back into the fold in Washington.

A botched snap from Albright’s replacement Nick Sundberg almost cost the Redskins the game against the Cowboys. A chip-shot field goal in the third quarter never got off the ground because Sundberg snapped high and hard to the holder who couldn’t handle it. Even if he had handled it, the likelihood of the field goal being blocked was great.

The field goal would have made the final score 16-7 and the holding call on the last play of the game would have been a mute point.

Albright, 39, handled long snapper duties for more than a decade. If the new Redskins coaches really wanted to go young, why did they bring in Donovan McNabb, Larry Johnson and Vonnie Holliday, among other older veterans? You normally build for the future with guys who play almost every down, not long snappers.

If Coach Mike Shanahan thinks the Redskins have a chance at making the playoffs, you’d think he would have stuck with Albright’s experience. As one sports journalist wrote, “(Long snapper) has not been an area of concern for the Redskins for years, with Ethan Albright handling the duties perfectly for almost a decade.”

Perfect for a decade and now a botched field goal on his first game gone. It appears than Albright has not hooked up with another team. Bring Albright back.

PANTHERS
The Panthers brought back kicker Rhys Lloyd after Todd Carter, his replacement, had back spasms after a kickoff Sunday.

Lloyd is used as a kickoff specialist and had previously done well for the Panthers but they decided before the year to go with the younger and cheaper Carter. The Panthers reached an injury settlement with Carter.

N.C. State coach Tom O’Brien missed the mark this week with his complaints about Thursday night’s game with Cincinnati in Raleigh.

O’Brien, speaking to the Wolfpack radio network after Saturday’s victory at Central Florida, said the ACC made N.C. State “a sacrificial lamb” by scheduling a Thursday game following a Saturday contest.

Whether O’Brien is right or not isn’t the point. The bottom line is, the game was scheduled months ago, and O’Brien and his staff have had plenty of time to prepare. Complaining on the radio – and sending a negative message to your team – is no way to spin the situation.

This is the type of situation where Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski is superb. Krzyzewski takes a situation, even a negative one, and finds a way to use it to his advantage. In this case, for example, O’Brien could have praised the toughness of his team, applauded the depth he has seen develop, and said this was a great opportunity for the Pack to showcase its talents. He could have said the Wolfpack program and fans are ready for national recognition and, despite the short turnaround, will be ready for opportunity.
But he didn’t. And even though he didn’t expound on his postgame comments when meeting with the media Monday, he essentially framed the game in a negative light.

O’Brien knows better. He’s a smart guy and savvy coach. There’s no ACC conspiracy to hold down the Wolfpack. Sure, State has a tough turnaround, but it is part of the sport when television dollars rule. The Wolfpack should embrace the opportunity, rather than whine about it.

N.C. State is suddenly one of the few positive stories in an ACC football season that has been derailed after only two weeks.

Virginia Tech, the preseason pick to win the league,has been humiliated, with defeats to Boise State and now James Madison. Miami, Florida State and Georgia Tech all suffered deflating losses. And North Carolina is under a double investigation that has the feel of Ken Starr investigating the Clintons – it just goes on and on and on. Even Duke, which has high hopes under David Cutcliffe, couldn’t hold Wake Forest under 50 points and 500 yards in yet another exasperating loss to the Deacons.

The league will have only one team – Miami – in the rankings when they come out Monday, a pretty humbling turn of events for a conference that yearns for recognition in football. It seems like the net of expansion has not been that other teams rise to the level of the incoming powers, but the new teams instead stumble back to the ACC pack.

The ACC should have at least four programs in the national picture on a regular basis – Florida State, Miami, Clemson and Virginia Tech – and North Carolina, N.C. State and Georgia Tech have the resources and traditions to make regular appearances in the Top 25 as well.

Some ACC team could well get on a roll and go on to a decent year, but any thought of a team contending for a national title is out of the question. The ACC is far from fielding a team of that caliber, as Alabama will show on Saturday in Durham.

So that leaves N.C. State at 2-0 with Cincinnati coming to Raleigh Thursday for an ESPN contest. Wolfpack coach Tom O’Brien is already complaining about the fast turnaround, but that’s often the price of national exposure. A win Thursday puts State on target for a winning season, a great reward for Wolfpack fans who have hung in there with the program.